Primrose
by ezmodo
Summary: A collection of short stories featuring Ruby and Jaune's happy little family. Ongoing. Crossposted from Tumblr.
1. Little Monsters

Jaune stared blearily at the nightstand from his pillow, the alarm clock blinding him with its unreadable green blur. He shut his eyes against the glare and tried to go back to sleep.

The storm must have woken him. What had started as a steady shower the night before had grown into a full blown tempest, rattling the walls in its intensity. Rain lashed the windows as the winds howled around the house in an eerie moan.

Jaune squirmed as he tried to find the right position to fall back asleep. He could feel Ruby behind him, her backside pressed against his, completely unphased by the storm. Out on the road she could be awake minutes before trouble even arrived, often before he noticed it himself despite being the one on watch. Get her home, though, and she might as well be dead to the world with how soundly she slept.

Just as he was drifting off a booming peal of thunder rocked the house, jolting him back awake. And while the thunder had kept him from nodding off, it was the hand grasping his foot that made him open his eyes.

Something hovered near the end of the bed. Two _things_. The smaller one held his foot with a clawed hand, shaking it insistently. Was it waiting for him to respond before it struck? The larger of the two stood just beyond, its gaunt, skeletal figure slightly hunched over as it stared blankly ahead. Both were cloaked in shadow, their nightmarish features obscured by the dark.

The smaller creature finally noticed that he was awake and turned its head to meet his gaze. Jaune lay frozen as the thing removed its claw from his foot. Its mouth opened and thunder spoke for it, a thundering boom that shook the world around them.

Jerking suddenly forward, the monster made its way further up the bed. Jaune's eyes followed it silently, still paralyzed. He realized then that it was actually a single thing, some fused abomination like the Nuckelavee - an Imp led, pulling a lanky Apathy behind. They were joined by a tentacle, a sort of umbilical cord that linked the two Grimm together. The Imp moved in bursts, jerking forward suddenly and having to stop as its counterpart stumbled to catch up. The Apathy's baleful aura kept him rooted and unable to defend himself as the monstrosity came to a stop near his head.

He wanted to scream but his dry mouth betrayed him as the monster slowly reached forward. The small, malformed claw found his shoulder and squeezed, sharp claws digging into his flesh. It leaned forward until it was just in front of his face. He could feel its hot breath on his cheek as it drank in his fear.

Heart hammering, he tried to move, to lash out. He needed to warn his wife, protect his chil-

The thing shook him roughly by the shoulder as it hissed. "_Daddy!_"

-dren. The anxious blue eyes of his son bored into his own as the fog of sleep finally lifted.

Jaune propped himself up on an elbow and rubbed the sleep from one eye as the boy withdrew a step. His hair was as wild as his eyes, the thick mop of red hair sticking out in every direction imaginable. He still clutched his big sister's hand as the taller girl wobbled on her feet, eyes closed, with some of her long blonde hair stuck to the corner of her mouth with drool. His son wore mismatched pajamas (the twins always swapped their tops for bedtime if left to dress themselves, for whatever reason) while his eldest daughter wore one of Ruby's t-shirts like a sleeping gown.

"What's the matter, Qrow?"

"Tummy hurts," the boy fibbed, falling back on his favorite excuse. He used his free hand to hold his stomach for effect. Another crack of thunder caused the boy to jump, readily exposing his true aim.

"How about you, Prim?"

"Moral support," she said through a huge yawn, eyes still shut. Jaune snorted at that.

"Where's your evil half?" he asked his son. Where one twin went the other usually followed.

"Being a _butt_."

_Hogging the dog again, _Jaune thought sleepily. The twins switched off getting to sleep with Drei each night and apparently Summer wasn't about to give up her turn.

Jaune knew how this song and dance went – do you need medicine, did you poop, etc. etc. – but he could already imagine every excuse and couldn't be bothered to abandon his warm bed. He laid his head back down and lifted the cover for his son to climb in.

"Come on, then."

Qrow surged forward, ignoring the spot offered to clamber over him instead. Jaune grunted with each blow struck as an elbow speared his liver and a knee pounded his ribs. His back was thoroughly pummeled as the boy tried to dig his way down in between his parents.

"_Mom_," the boy whined. "_Quit being a butt!_"

After a minute of struggle, Jaune could feel that his son had managed to wiggle down under the covers but wasn't able to get thoroughly sandwiched how he liked. He continued to thrash as he tried to squeeze in before Ruby, finally roused from the rough treatment, turned over. She mumbled something unintelligibly as she sleep-wrangled her son in a tight hug. They eventually settled, Qrow's small form pressed up against Jaune's back as Ruby sandwiched him in.

Jaune let out a tired sigh. "G'night bud."

"Night," the boy replied, yawning fitfully into Jaune's back before going still.

Thunder boomed again yet Qrow didn't so much as twitch. Neither did Primrose, who still stood sleeping on her feet next to the bed.

"Prim?" Jaune asked.

No response. She swayed slowly back and forth, ready to fall over at any moment. The only way she was making it back to her own bed was if he carried her.

"Sunshine?" he asked again.

"Mm," she mumbled, still tottering.

"C'mere."

He lifted the blanket again. Primrose practically collapsed into bed and curled up against his chest. She was out instantly.

After some maneuvering he was able to get her pulled fully under the covers and his pillow under her head. With the sliver of pillow left to him, Jaune rested his chin on his daughter's head and settled down to go back to sleep.

Tomorrow he'd probably wake up to an irate three-year-old jumping on him as punishment for not inviting her to the "slumber party" while an equally energetic Corgi runs sprints across the mattress. They'd crawl out of bed, watch their Saturday morning cartoons with big bowls of cereal, and plan their day. If the rain let up he'd play in the mud with the twins while Ruby and Prim hole up in the workshop to tinker to get ready for Ruby's next mission. And after his wife got back they'd see, against their better judgment, about adding another little monster to the family.

But hopefully just one. They'd never survive another set of twins.


	2. Mom's Workshop

Ruby sat at her workbench, enjoying a quiet Saturday afternoon. The house was silent save for the booming bass of Grimmplosion's latest single blasting out of the headphones that rested around her neck, the noise drowning out the happy panting of the corgi beneath her feet. The family pet luxuriated under the attention, Ruby rubbing her feet up and down the dog's velvety belly along with each riff, playing the corgi like an electric guitar. She was still in her PJs (it was a PJs sort of day), consisting of a supremely comfy, if ratty, old shirt and equally worn pajama pants.

Crescent Rose lay disassembled before her, each part resting at its designated spot. It didn't need maintenance - she had given her baby a thorough cleaning after returning from her mission three days ago - but it helped her visualize future upgrades. She flipped through the weapons magazine on her lap, coming back to the page she had dogeared earlier that showcased hard-light dust. She could tinker up a way to surround and reinforce her main blade to provide extra piercing power to counter the thick hide of a Goliath or maybe install a mechanism at the base of the pole that could sprout a second scythe blade to surprise human opponents! Hard-light dust was so dang cool! And so dang _expensive._ Too expensive for now. Maybe she could call up Weiss and ask for an early Nondescript Winter Holiday present…

The dog beneath her suddenly stirred, rolling to its feet as it stared past Ruby to the door behind her. Looking back towards the door, Ruby clicked her headphones off and listened.

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Ruby smiled to herself. Somebody was finally up.

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The sound of little feet went zooming past the workshop and faded as they padded further down the hall.

"Drei."

The corgi looked up at Ruby, its entire backside wagging in anticipation.

"Fetch."

The dog shot off like a rocket and squeezed out through the cracked door to chase down her target. Ruby placed the magazine and headphones on the table before standing to stretch. She only had to wait a moment before she could hear giggling off in the house and soon enough the _tmp tmp tmp_ of feet approached the workshop.

Drei pushed the door the rest of the way open as the dog barged in, giving a single bark as she sat proudly at Ruby's feet. Ruby knelt down to give the dog a scratch behind the ears in reward as the boss of the house herself came to a stop in the doorway.

Primrose Arc stood just beyond the door rubbing the last bit of sleep from her silver eyes. Her blonde hair was pulled up into a loose knot on top of her head for her nap, some bits that came loose sticking out at odd angles. She was, like her mom, still in her pajamas from the night before, a purple top and bottom Yang had gotten her that barely fit the four-year-old. 'I Can Sleep All Day. What's YOUR Semblance?' it read, something that always made Ruby grin. It probably was time to retire the set, even though Prim loved everything her aunt got her - she was growing like a weed. She could practically hear Jaune correcting her in her head; _like a flower _he would say in that cheesy yet completely serious way that only a doting dad could that would leave the rest of the room cringing.

"Have a good nap?" Ruby asked.

"Mmhm," the girl mumbled back. She tugged the shirt down, trying to stretch the too small shirt down to cover her stomach. Whenever she stood straight the cloth would come up, exposing her belly button.

She lingered there by the door, distracting herself by messing with her shirt but kept sneaking glances up at Ruby. The workshop was off limits to her, after all, ever since Prim had snuck in and nearly cut herself on Crescent Rose. Jaune had freaked out a tad much about that in Ruby's opinion, but it's not like that rule applied if Ruby or Jaune were in the room.

"C'mere sweetie," Ruby said, extending her arms out to her daughter.

Prim crossed the room in an instant, clambering into her mother's arms to hook her chin over Ruby's shoulder. Ruby stood in one fluid motion, bringing the girl up with her as Drei settled down on the floor for a nap of her own.

Ruby noticed something - someone - missing. "Where's Pete?" Ruby asked. The girl took the stuffed bunny with her everywhere. It was a hand-me-down, the very one Jaune had as a boy that his mother had patched up for her granddaughter. Ruby was surprised she still had the thing. Would she end up being that crazy?

"Daddy still needed him," she said, nuzzling further into her mother's neck.

Go ahead and mark her down as crazy. Prim had both of her parents wrapped around her finger and neither cared. Ruby kissed the girl on the cheek and began to sway in place as she held her daughter.

Jaune must have fallen for Prim's naptime trap. First she asks for a story. Then, a song. And for the finishing blow, she asks you in the sweetest voice imaginable to lie with her until she falls asleep. Before you know it you wake up three hours later and you're half falling out of her tiny bed with a serious crick in your neck. Prim would usually still be there, waking up early but playing quietly by herself or fiddling with her parent's scroll. It was scary how a girl so little could already navigate the device as well as her mom and dad.

"That was very sweet of you," Ruby told her. "Daddy needs all the rest he can get for his big mission tomorrow."

"Mission?" the girl asked, tightening her arms around Ruby's neck. "Daddy's turn?"

"Yup," Ruby replied, "Daddy's turn this time. It's a reeeaaaaal short one though."

Even before Primrose was born, Ruby and Jaune knew that they both couldn't keep going on missions together full time. Though they had a near endless line of grandparents and aunts ready and willing (some aggressively so) to look after Prim while they were out on missions, it would be unfair to their daughter to leave her without her parents for the majority of the year. And if one of them stayed home with Prim while the other was out on a mission they'd be effectively cutting their income in half. They'd built up a nice nest egg over the years but between buying a home on Patch and Prim's birth they'd be running dry in no time with only one of them getting paid at any given time.

Jaune confessed that he had been thinking about teaching for a while now, back when they spent most of their time out on missions together, only coming home to their crummy little apartment for the occasional recharge. He had even spoken with her father and Ren, who had started teaching himself at Haven years ago, about it without her knowing. It seemed like the perfect fit - they'd have a stable home for their daughter, be able to live comfortably financially, and Ruby would be able to dial down the number of missions she had to take on so she could be home more. They'd even have a couple months out of the year when school wasn't in session where Jaune would be able to go on the occasional mission with Ruby. Not to mention the sweet, sweet benefits that the teaching staffs of huntsman academies got to enjoy. With the second salary and the dirt cheap healthcare, they'd finally be able to start adding to their family.

Leading up to and following Prim's birth, Jaune worked towards getting his teaching license. Academics were never his strong suit but those days he rarely went long without a book in his hand, Prim often occupying his free arm. With Ren and her dad's old study guides and Ruby's surprise pop quizzes keeping him sharp, the written exam didn't even slow him down.

Huntsman experience he had in spades, easily meeting standard mission requirements. The necessary teaching hours came easily too. He bounced back and forth between Signal and Beacon to observe and assist with classes and before long was escorting Beacon teams out on their school-directed missions. He earned his teaching license before Prim's first birthday.

But there were no open positions at Signal or even at Beacon. Headmistress Goodwitch's glowing endorsement brought offers from several other academies on other continents, none of which they would take. Patch was their home and they planned on keeping it that way.

For the next three years they kept doing exactly what they had tried to plan against - they took turns out in the field. When Ruby was away, Jaune was home. Thankfully, when Jaune was home he had opportunities to visit Beacon for work. Glynda Goodwitch, the scourge of their short time at Beacon, had become their savior, practically inventing temporary positions and jobs for Jaune to work around the academy to further beef up his resume and earn lien on the side. Goodwitch herself would watch Prim when Jaune was working at Beacon - the headmistress adored the girl and showed a tenderness that Ruby didn't know a woman as tough as her could possess. Naturally, Beacon's headmistress walking around campus with a blonde baby and meeting regularly with an equally blond temp teacher led to all sorts of embarrassing rumors that made Jaune the butt of many a joke once word reached their friends.

Her dad kept assuring her that once a spot opened, Jaune was guaranteed a teaching job at Signal. The current combat teacher, a hardened old lump of a woman, was the closest in age to retirement but showed no signs of stopping. She could still swing her staff for hours on end, busting the backsides of any student who thought they could give "grandma" a run for her money.

It was frustrating. They were getting by just fine but Ruby wanted more than 'getting by.' It felt like she only saw Jaune in passing, only ever in the house at the same time for a few days at most before one of them had to head out on another mission. She wanted her daughter to have the normal childhood she deserved and she wanted to give her a little brother or sister, maybe more. But with not enough money in the bank, especially not enough for her to stop working entirely if she were pregnant, they had no choice but to hold their current course.

But the end was in sight. The combat crone finally decided her time teaching the future huntsmen of Remnant was over and now she could spend her twilight years relaxing by traveling Remnant...with some Faunus dude young enough to be her grandson, according to her dad. Good going, granny.

So finally, _finally_, Jaune would get her spot. Tomorrow he'd board the bullhead to Argus to spend a week at Sanctum for a final assessment. He'd take the role of a full professor - teaching classes, grading papers, counseling students, the whole shebang, all while being observed by a third party. They had gone with Sanctum because it was a school he'd never visited before and they didn't want to give the impression that he'd gotten the job at Signal based off family connections. Not that it mattered, really. Goodwitch said it was mostly formality at this point and, even if it weren't, Ruby knew Jaune would pass with flying colors.

Professor Arc would soon be born and more Arcs would follow.

Ruby hummed happily as she shared an impromptu dance around the workshop with her daughter. In a week's time things would be settled. She wondered if Prim would understand - as far as her daughter was concerned, Daddy already was a teacher.

Prim was fully awake now, sitting up taller in her mother's arms. Ruby could feel her head turn this way and that depending on which way she danced and realized just what the girl was looking at. Ruby came to a stop in front of the workbench and watched as Prim shifted in her arms to get a better look at the disassembled Crescent Rose.

She'd worked on Crescent Rose in front of Prim before and it was hard to miss how enraptured the girl was with the process, asking an endless string of childish questions. Ruby couldn't help the pride that bubbled up in her chest. Her daughter was on the road to becoming a weapon nerd.

"Wanna help Mommy put Crescent Rose back together?"

"I can?" the girl asked, eyes still glued to the weapon.

"Yup. But," Ruby said, turning the girl to make sure they were looking each other in the eye. "You can only touch when I say you can. Okay?"

"Kay!" she exclaimed excitedly, rocking back and forth in her mother's arms.

Laughing, Ruby nudged the chair closer to the table and set her daughter down, letting her stand on the seat. Prim immediately leaned forward, placing her hands on the table to get a better look. Her eyes darted from part to part, never able to stay still for long.

Ruby took her place next to Prim and placed a steadying hand on the girl's back.

"Okay," Ruby said, taking the upper receiver and bringing it closer for the girl to see. "What's this?"

"The…" Prim paused, wracking her tiny brain for the made up word Ruby had taught her before. "Thingamabob!"

Ruby sucked air dramatically through her teeth in an exaggerated wince. "Oooo, so close! This is the thingama_jig!_ This part over here is the thingamabob…"

Jaune slept most of the afternoon away while mother and daughter rebuilt Crescent Rose. One day Ruby would teach her the real names for each part and watch Prim put it back together again without help. Ruby might even, if Prim decided to follow her mother's footsteps even further, help her build a weapon of her own. Or maybe she'd change her mind somewhere along the way and pick up some other calling, possibly something Ruby didn't know the first thing about.

Ruby couldn't wait to find out.


End file.
